The East Bremerton wrecking yard has been in the Lillybridge
family since 1981. Manager Mike Lillybridge said the family
couldn’t keep pouring money into a business in rapid decline.

A shrinking customer base, hard-to-work-on modern cars, and
government regulations have made junkyards nearly impossible to
keep open, he said.

“I would be shocked if this industry is still around in
10 years.”

He said the work was hard but enjoyable.

“I’ve always been a big customer service guy, just being able to
help people, and help them save money.”

Friday was the last day Eastside would sell auto parts. There
are still about 350 cars in the yard to strip and prep for the
crusher. That process will probably take a month.

Meanwhile the Eastside property is up for sale. Lillybridge said
the 6.5 acres were listed Thursday at $1.5 million.

Watch the Kitsap Sun for an in-depth story and video on the
wrecking yard business. If you were an Eastside customer please
share your thoughts in the comment section or send me an email at
tad.sooter@kitsapsun.com

Once again, a small army of volunteers from AARP’s Tax-Aide
program will fan out to locations around Kitsap to offer free tax
help. Residents of all ages can get assistance with basic 2013
income tax filings beginning in February.

Full details, schedules and locales are listed in the document
below below. You can download the document or print it out and
stick it on your fridge. Continue reading →

The land trust will slide into a corner office on the top floor
of the Sound West Building at the corner of Pacific Avenue and 5th
Street.

Great Peninsula Conservancy is currently located at 3721 Kitsap
Way. The small offices were getting cramped with a staff of five
and a growing list of projects, said Executive Director Sandra
Staples-Bortner. The group was interested in the exposure offered
on Pacific Avenue, and liked the growing energy downtown.

“We see what’s happening there and want to be a part of
it,”Staples-Bortner said. Continue reading →

But in December, Kitsap saw a jump in the number of residents
enrolled in qualified private health care plans offered through
Washington Healthplanfinder. Enrollment in those plans jumped
from 735 at the end of November to 2,454 at the end of December,
according to a report released Thursday by the exchange.

A surge in enrollment for qualified health plans was noted
statewide in December. Exchange representatives attributed the jump
to people rushing to meet the Dec. 23 deadline for
coverage activated on Jan. 1.

Another 9,149 Kitsap residents have qualified for Medicaid
plans, including 3,801 newly enrolled. That brings the total number
of Kitsap residents enrolled through the exchange to 11,603.

The exchange opened in October. Open enrollment continues
through March 31 (applications are accepted at any time for
Medicaid).

A spike in sales and a low inventory of available homes helped
propel the modest price gain of 3.3 percent, the first since 2007.
You can
read our story here. The full report is embedded below:
Continue reading →

Crain is a 1987 graduate of Central Washington University and
1996 graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University
of Washington. He is active in several banking and business
associations.

“Alan has a broad background in finance, accounting, investment
management, information technology, public finance, mortgage
banking, and overall bank operations,” Anthony George, president
and chief operating officer at Kitsap Bank, said in the release.
“We are excited to have such a high-quality and well-respected
banker join Kitsap Bank in this critical role.”

The Port Orchard-based bank maintains 20 locations and reports
$900 million in assets.

In related news, Kitsap Bank announced a new branch for Wheaton
Way in Bremerton, to be combined with a Starbucks. Head on over to
the
Bremerton Beat blog for details.